Toy vehicle with movable figure



July 14, 1953 H. MA NGOLD TOY VEHICLE WITH MOVABLE FIGURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1951 Inventor": H ws M27290 2% By 61 July 14, 1953 Filed Jan. 18, 1951 H. MANGOLD TOY VEHICLE WITH MOVABLE FIGURE 2 Sheefs-Sheet 2 .lnvemon' Hams Mango Zd Patented July 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOY VEHICLE WITH MOVABLE FIGURE Hans Mangold, Furth (Bavaria), Germany Application January 18, 1951, Serial No. 206,665 In Germany January 30, 1950 The invention relates to a toy vehicle driven by a running gear, and relates especially to a toy vehicle having the shape of a motor cycle provided with the figure of a cyclist. The invention intends to give an impressive as well as a surprising effect to such'a toy vehicle, whereby the cyclist executes movements similar to those of a circus artist.

According to one feature of the invention means are provided to lift the driver from his normal position and to bring him into a prone position, then to raise him from the last mentioned position and bring him again via the prone position into the initial position.

According to another feature of the invention the mentioned movements are executed by a cam and cog disc driven by a shaft of the running gear, moving, on the one hand, a controlling link acting on a swinging operating arm of the rod carrying the driver and operating, on the other hand, a bell crank lever actuating the said carrying rod by a controlling arm pivotally supported at its ends.

The cyclist of a motor cycle constructed according to the invention is raised from the normal position in which he seems to be sitting on the saddle or to be standing on the pedals with his feet in such a way that he is brought into a prone position in which his hands seem to be supported by the handle bar and his feet by the saddle of the cycle. Subsequently he rises so that the impression is brought about that he is standing on the saddle. Thereupon the cyclist is forwardly tilted so that he adopts approximately the former prone position and then sinks back into the normal, i. e. the initial position. Thus the cyclist accomplishes acrobatic tricks. The toy is therefore exceptionally attractive and entices one to repeat the play now and again.

According to a further feature of the invention the cam and cog disc acts on a controlling link by means of two axial cogs of different height, the higher cog of which slides along the edge of an opening of the link, thereby rocking the link while the shorter cog slides along a flange axially projecting from the edge of the link opening, thereby holding the link in the rocked position. The cam or cog disc acts with a radial projection on the one leg of the bell crank lever and with an axially directed flange on the other leg of said bell crank lever, so that the one leg causes the 4 Claims. (Cl. 46-107) controlling movement of the controlling arm 1' pivotally connected therewith while the other leg undoes the mentioned movement. It is recommended to bend at angles the lower end of the rod carrying the figure of the cyclist, the actuating arm influenced by the controlling link being journalled to the first bent off portion and the controlling arm actuated by the bell crank lever being journalled behind the second bent off portion of the said rod.

Besides having the advantages already mentioned the invention is also distinguished by the simple construction of the means causing the movements of the figure of the cyclist. Although the cyclist is brought into different positions and has to execute the movements from one position into the other the entire device consists of only a few punched pieces which may easily be produced, namely a cog and cam disc, a controlling link, a carrying rod, two controlling rods, and a bell crank lever. These pieces produce the above mentioned surprising effect of the toy because the controlling operations are produced in a skillful manner on the one hand by means of axial cams and on the other hand by means of radial cams of the same member and therefore a plurality of controlling means is avoided.

The drawings show by way of example one embodiment of the invention. For the sake of clearness only those parts are shown in the drawings which are essential for the explanation of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side-view of a toy motor cycle according to the invention the figure of the cyclist being in its normal position,

Fig. 2 is a similar side-view, partly in a section, showing the figure of the cyclist in a prone position,

Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2 showing the figure of the cyclist standing on the saddle,

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the cam and cog wheel,

Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the controlling link,

Fig. 7 is a side view of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the bar carrying the cyclist in connection with the controlling arm and the bell crank lever and Fig. 9 is a detail view of the actuating arm pivoted to the carrying rod.

In the casing l the running gear (not shown in the drawing) is arranged by which the shaft 2 is driven carrying two wheels 3 one of which only may be seen in the drawings. In front of these wheels a further supporting or guiding wheel 3a is provided.

On a driven axle 4 of the running gear the cam and cog disc 5 is secured and is provided with two axially directed cogs 6 and l of different height. The said disc is also provided with a radial projection 8 and with a flange 9 extending in the axial direction (Figs. 4 and 5). The disc 5 is rotatable in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.

A controlling link shown in detail in Figs. 6 and '7 is pivoted to the casing of the running gear I at II. It possesses an opening [2 provided at its edge with a flange [3 projecting normally from said link and extending along a portion of the circumference of said opening. The link I0 is further provided with a slot 14 within which a pivot l5 may move. This pivot is carried by an operating arm iii the one end of which being pivotally connected with the casing of the running gear by means of the pivot H. The other end of said arm I6 is connected with a bar 19 carrying the figure of the cyclist by means of a pivot l8 inserted into borings 18a and [9a of the actuating arm l6 and the carrying bar I9 respectively and extending through borings of the cyclists feet. The carrying bar 19 extends upwardly between or within the legs of the figure of the cyclist and engages it at about half of its height. Therefore it does not attract general notice.

The lower end of the carrying bar [9 is bent at angles forming two bent-off portions 2| and 22. On the place where the two bent oil portions 2| and 22 pass over to one another the boring 19a is provided. At the end of the bent oif portion 22 a controlling arm 23 is pivoted to said carrying bar [9 and the other end of the said controlling arm is pivotally connected with a bell crank lever 25 rotatable around a pivot 24 fixed on the casing of the running gear.

If the motor cycle starts and the shaft 2 and axle 4 rotate and the figure of the cyclist has its normal or initial position shown in Fig. 1 in full lines the controlling link l0 will be swung around its pivot ll upwardly in the clockwise direction if the higher cog 6 of the cam and cog disc 5 engages the abutment 26 of the controlling link [0. Hereby in consequence of the engagement of the controlling link It) with the operating arm [6 by means of the pivot IS the said actuating arm is swung around its pivot IT in the anticlockwise direction and the feet of the figure 20 connected with said operating arm l6 by the pin [8 are raised. Thus, the said link and arm come into the position shown in Fig. 2 and the figure 20 is brought from its initial position shown in Fig. 1 by full lines into the position indicated in that figure by dotted lines and shown in Fig. 2 by full lines.

The actuating arm l6 has been moved from the position shown in Fig. l in dotted lines into the position shown in Fig. 2 in full lines and as the actuating arm is operatively connected with the controlling arm 23 the said controlling arm is moved into the position according to Fig. 2 and the carrying bar [9 is forwardly inclined into the position shown in Fig. 2. The figure 20 of the cyclist now has a prone position in which its hands are supported by the handle bar as previously described, but its feet are at the level of the saddle.

In the meantime the cam disc 5 turning in either clockwise or anti-clockwise direction as the vehicle moves forward has turned further on. Thereby its shorter cog 1 slides along the flange l3 of the controlling link l0, thereby retaining the latter in its upwardly rocked position according to Fig. 2. Also the operating arm [6 remains in its position according to Fig. 2.

As soon as the projection 8 of the cam disc 5- engages an abutment 21 of the one leg 28 of the bell crank lever 25, the said bell crank lever is rocked around its pivot 24 in the direction of the arrow as (Fig. 2) from the position according to Fig. 2 into that according to Fig. 3. Thereby the controlling arm 23 is moved forwardly in the direction of the arrow 1 (Fig. 2) into the position shown in Fig. 3 simultaneously rocking the carrying bar l9 rearwardly around the pivot I8 in the direction of the arrow 2 so that it is brought into the position shown in Fig. 3. Now, the figure 20 of the cyclist stands raised on the saddle.

During the further rotating of the cam and cog disc 5 its flange 9 abuts against the upper edge of the other leg 29 of the bell crank lever 25 thereby causing this lever to swing back in the direction opposite to the arrow 11:. Also the controlling arm 23 is returned into its initial position by being rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow y so that the carrying bar I! swings back into the inclined position according to Fig. 2 and the figure 20 of the cyclist is again brought into the prone position.

In the meantime the shorter cog I of the cam and cog disc 5 has moved so far that it leaves the flange l3 of the controlling link [0 which latter is now no more held in the upwardly rocked position. The controlling link I!) swings from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 downwardly into the initial position according to Fig. l, the actuating arm I 6, the controlling arm 23 and the carrying bar l9 returned to their initial position thereby causing the figure 20 of the cyclist to be again brought into the position shown in Fig. l. The downward movement of the controlling link if! to the initial position is effected by the weight of the operative elements [0, I6, 23, I9 and 20. If desired this movement may be assisted by a spring.

Although not absolutely necessary, suitable guides may be provided for the swinging elements warranting that these pieces will move upwardly and downwardly or to and fro exactly within their rocking plane.

Of course it is possible to provide the running gear in a mannerknown per se with a braking lever for braking the running down of the running gear so that the movements of the vehicle and of the cyclist will not begin before the actuation of this braking lever.

The invention is not restricted to a toy motor cyclist, but may be used also in combination with other toy vehicles in which impression of funny effects may be attained by acrobatic tricks of the figure of a driver. Further it is not necessary that the toy have the shape of a vehicle. The casing of the toy may also have another shape, for instance the shape of an animal with a rider.

The funny effect may be increased and changed into grotesqueness by a suitable shaping of the figure of the cyclist. In the embodiment shown in the drawings a monkey is shown as cyclist.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and the manner in which it is to be performed what I claim to have covered by Letters Patent is:

1. A toy vehicle, especially a toy motor cycle provided with the figure of a cyclist and having a running gear adapted to drive the vehicle, comprising a casing, a shaft driven by said running gear, a cam and cog disc arranged on and rotated by said shaft, a controlling link pivotally mounted in thecasing in operative relation with the cam and cog disc to be actuated thereby, a

swinging operating arm rotatably mounted in the casing and actuated by said controlling link, a bar carrying the figure of the cyclist and rotatably connected with and operated by said operating arm, a bell crank lever rotatably mounted in the casing, and a controlling arm connected at one end with the bell crank lever and the other end being operatively connected with the said carrying bar, said cam and cog disc upon rotation coacting with said bell crank lever and controlling arm to lift the cyclist from his normal position by the carrying bar and to bring him into a prone position, then to raise him from the last mentioned position and to bring him again to the prone position.

2. A toy vehicle according to claim 1, in which the said cam and cog disc is provided with two axial noses of different heights actuating said controlling link, and the said controlling link is provided with an opening and an axially projecting flange, the higher nose being adapted to slide along the edge of said opening thereby rocking said link and the lower nose being adapted to engage and slide along said flange thereby holding the controlling link in a rocked position.

3. A toy vehicle according to claim 1, in which the said cam and cog disc is provided with a radial is bent at an angle thereby forming two oppo sitely bent-off portions, the said operating arm being pivotally connected with said bar near the place where the two bent-off portions merge into one another and the said controlling arm being pivotally connected with the second bent-01f portion of said bar near its end.

HANS MANGOLD,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,135,850 Schmid Nov. 8, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 403,365 Germany Oct. 3. 1934 

